Arctic Incident Revisited
by Come Lady Death
Summary: AU. Briar Cudgeon and Opal Koboi have taken over Haven. Following a recent split in their power, captives Foaly and Holly Short work together to find a way to free themselves and their people.
1. Chapter 1

Underground. The last place on this Earth that is not tainted by the humans, called Mud Men by the Fairy People. The Fairies, wishing to remain hidden from human sight, moved beneath the surface centuries ago. They have lived in safety and peace for many generations, untouched by the human world.

But no more.

Two years ago, a young human named Artemis Fowl discovered the People in a somewhat, shall we say, shady deal. Once deciphering the Fairy Book, their bible, the Fowl boy devised a plan to seperate the fairies from their gold. It was a long ordeal, involving kidnapping, politics, a time stop, lots of thinking, and lots of gold. Unfortunately, it was fairy gold that was lost. Artemis Fowl the Second had won the first round.

Last year, there was an uprising of the Bwa'Kell goblin Triad. These scaly critters were using outlawed softnose lasers for weapons. Lasers that happen to be powered by human AA batteries. There was also additional evidence sufficient to prove that the mind behind this was patently not goblin. The obvious person to blame was Artemis Fowl. Commander Julius Root and Captain Holly Short traveled to the surface to interrogate the Mud Boy.

Sadly, it was not Artemis Fowl but one of the People that was the mastermind. Two of the People, in fact. The brilliant pixie Opal Koboi and the demented elf Briar Cudgeon. Their plan called for the goblins to take Haven City. Koboi had the power to completely neutralize the LEP armaments, so it would be easy to have the goblins overrun the city with their battery-powered guns. The only one anyone thought able to take out the LEP guns was the centaur, Foaly. Locking Foaly into his Ops booth, Cudgeon would then charge onto the scene and rescue Haven from the goblin gang. Making him a hero and, probably, Commander of the LEP. Foaly would be arrested, and Koboi Labs would get every cent of his budget, since they were the only other qualified technology provider. With Cudgeon as head of the police and Koboi controlling all the guns, it would be only a matter of time before they took over Haven altogether. A perfect plan.

Too perfect.

The plan went off without a hitch. But soon the Council realized just what they had let themselves in for. Through deceit, through bribery, through veiled threats and clear ones, the elf and the pixie soon ruled Haven as King and Queen. The common people didn't have a clue at first, for the government didn't change that much right away. However, when the changes started, everyone knew instantly.

First the taxes rose. Then the pair started turning out new laws. These laws restricted nearly every move the fairies made. But any who even whispered of insurrection was quickly imprisoned and never seen again. The reign of terror had begun.

Upon returning from their topside mission, Commander Root and Captain Short found the takeover well underway. Horrified, they tried to stop it, but they were rewarded with near imprisonment. The two elves barely escaped with their lives and freedom. Once they were away, the two began a rebellion. The resistance was small at first, but grew in step with Opal and Briar's tyranny. The group engaged in commando-style warfare, token strikes against the regime until they thought they were ready for a coup. A coup d'essai, six months after the takeover.

It failed miserably.

Many secrets were lost, many lives were cost in that awful attempt at an upset. The battle failed to succeed in its purpose, but it did accomplish one thing that no one foresaw. It finished splitting the already present and wide rift between Opal Koboi and Briar Cudgeon and the two seperated. Haven was divided down the middle, with one half going to Koboi and the other to Cudgeon. The two had been picking at each other for the duration of their rule, with multiple assasination attempts on either side. Now, with their power split in two, the leaders of the rebellion thought that another attempt at a coup might be more successful.

The coup was set to take place in one week. But now, that attempt could be in jeopardy due to the unbridled incompetence of this officer...


	2. Chapter 2

Holly Short sighed heavily, ending her lengthy imaginary report. How long had she been here, making up reports and bouncing tiny pebbles off of her cell wall? _Kill me or torture me or something, Cudgeon, just have done with it! _she thought with irritation and severe boredom clawing at her brain. She'd been captured by Briar Cudgeon's police two nights ago and had sat alone in this place ever since. _Come on, _she thought again.

As if in answer to her thoughts, the heavy door swung open and two figures entered, a gnome and an Atlantean elf. They were carrying another person in their arms and backed into the room without even noticing her. They laid their burden on the floor and began to work over her. It was a male elf, and he looked to be in bad shape. Someone else entered, but Holly didn't see. Her eyes were riveted to the elf lying on the floor between the gnome and the elf. She could swear that he looked familiar, even though the hair was longer and the eyes profoundly more despondent...

"Holly?"

The whisper galvanized the former LEP officer and she rushed to the prone figure's side and knelt beside him. "Trouble?" Holly had been right. The shuddering person at her feet was, indeed, Trouble Kelp, one of her best friends. She had known him well for years and the two LEP officers were very close. Seeing Kelp here, now, in this condition, Holly was rendered speechless. It was obvious that he was ill and had been severely beaten. The elf's natural skin tone was barely visible under the sheer amount of bruises and lesions that covered his arms and face. "Trouble, what are you doing here? Who did this?"

The elf looked at Holly with a tiny smile hovering at the corners of his mouth. "Surviving," he answered in a wry whisper. "Isn't-" His next sentence broke off under a wracking cough that shook Trouble Kelp's frail frame. Holly tried to keep him still. "Don't, you'll hurt yourself! Try not to talk, Trouble. It's going to be okay."

Laboring to get his breath back, Trouble blinked gratefully at his friend and lay quiet. A small thread of blood ran from the corner of his parted lips. Kelp lifted his hand to the trickle. His hand came away stained with red. He looked at his hand, eyes wide with horror and disbelief. "They've killed me," he whispered. Trouble Kelp lifted his eyes to meet Holly's worried gaze. "They've killed me," he murmured again, then slumped against Holly, all life gone from him.

Holly gave a yelp of shock and instinctively placed a hand against her friend's chest. "Heal!" she commanded desperately. But instead of a rush of magic, she only felt emptiness. Swearing profusely, she tugged at the bands locked around her wrists, trying to rip them from her. The devices were inhibitors, designed to prevent the wearer from using his or her magic. It was working perfectly, Holly realized with a pang of despair. She couldn't revive her friend through magic.

"There has to be another way!" she shouted. Holly Short slammed her fists down on the elf's chest, harder and harder, trying to make him breathe, trying to return him to life. Finally the captain slumped over the body, sobbing brokenly. The other occupants of the cell looked on soberly as she cried.

A hand rested lightly on her shoulder and Holly looked up into the pale, sympathetic face of Foaly. She did not question his presence, she simply flung herself on the centaur, crying even harder. Foaly simply embraced her. There was nothing he could say.

"Who would do this? To Trouble, of all people! It's barbaric! Why? Why?" Holly's wails of anguish cut to Foaly's heart and he spoke to her in a gentle whisper.

"Holly, Cudgeon has lost his mind. Brutalizing the People, even the most innocent, is his way. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. He was my friend too." He smoothed her hair and held her as she wept for the loss of her friend.

A scornful voice cut through the grievous scene. "Of course, you know who is to blame for this?" Looking up, Holly saw the gnome standing arms akimbo a few feet away. She sniffed and swiped at her wet face with an angry hand.

"Of course I do," she growled. "Briar Cudgeon." But she was in for a shock, for the gnome slowly shook his head from side to side.

"No, Captain Short. It was Foaly."

Holly's gaze instantly shot to the centaur's face, which had gone deathly pale. Then she looked back to the gnome. "That's a lie," she said flatly. "Foaly would never betray the People to a tyrant like Cudgeon." But inexorably her eyes drifted back to meet Foaly's. "Would you?" she asked tremulously.

But Foaly's face told her the truth. "Averies, please," he said in a low voice. "It's not my fault. Holly, please believe me, it's not my fault. I'm so sorry."

Hazel eyes widened in shock. "So it is true? You've betrayed us to the beast and caused the death of an innocent man?" Foaly looked down and away, unwilling to meet her eyes. Averies, the gnome, was all to willing to supply what Foaly wouldn't say.

"Your Foaly is working for Cudgeon. Has been since the split seven months ago. He's named names and patented new technology in the name of Cudgeon the Conqueror." He held up his wrists, on which were fixed a pair of inhibitor bracelets. "Who do you think created these things? It certainly wasn't Koboi. Foaly's created these, and more. He's also given up the names of every close friend and relative of the leaders of the rebellion, specifically, Commander Root and yourself. Using that list of names, Cudgeon's police have made dozens of arrests and have pumped everyone that Foaly named for information. Strenuously. Poor Trouble was the last of the set to die, and a long and painful ordeal it was for him. And all because of this friend of yours." Averies put a nasty sneer on the word friend and it hurt Foaly to see the disgust in his voice reflected in Holly Short's eyes.

"Holly, please, I-"

She turned away and paced to the other side of the cell. "Don't talk to me, Foaly," she said in a barely controlled voice. "Don't ever talk to me again."


	3. Chapter 3

_Foaly stood in the center of a white room, head bowed and eyes closed against the nearly blinding lights all around him. He was bound hand and hoof and a muzzle gag had been fitted over his head. _Do not move,_ he thought. _This has to be a dream, it will end soon._ But it did not end. It got worse._

_Suddenly from all around, a piercing, throbbing, subsonic whine entered the room. The noise was strident, buzzing, and it threatened to drive the centaur clear out of his mind after only hearing it for a few seconds. Foaly's eyes sprang open with a shuddering gasp, then he shut them tightly again against the brilliant lights. In vain he tried to cover his ears, to block out the sound. But it was useless. The sound was around him, it was everywhere, it was _in _him. _It must be a dream and it will end soon, _he thought again, more desperately now. _Soon now. It cannot get any worse._ True to the nature of life, however, the situation did get worse._

_Under the subsonics, Foaly heard the rasping of leather and cloth and heavy footfalls entering the room, surrounding him. His heart began to beat wildly, the blood rushing in his ears. He knew what was coming. He knew and did not want to know..._

_A lash fell across his shoulders and he let out a muffled cry. Then the beating began in earnest. The white-hot strips of pain came searing from every side and cry and struggle though he may, Foaly was trapped inside the circle. At first he thought that he could handle the pain, control it. After all, wasn't this all a dream? But it could not be a dream. This was too real. Soon the combination of noise and pain swept away any conscious thought and he was reduced to terrified screams of agony._

_It was seconds, or maybe minutes, before Foaly realized that the whips were no longer falling. The maddening subsonic whine was no longer filling his ears. And the lights were dimmed to a tolerable level. Cracking his eyes open just a bit, he saw before him his misshapen captor. Briar Cudgeon. The mad elf ran a finger along the centaur's arm and Foaly shuddered, whimpering with pain and fear as Cudgeon touched his still-fresh whip weals. Cudgeon smiled smugly at the reaction. Foaly was sickened at his own weakness, but it was a thing he could not help._

_"Are you ready, Foaly?" Cudgeon said in an obscenely intimate whisper. "Are you ready to give in to me? Because I can make all this-" and he waved a hand at the dimmed lights, the speakers in the corners, and the whip-wielding guards "-go away." Briar's eyes burned as he stared at Foaly. "Swear to me and it will be well with you." Gentle fingers undid the straps on the muzzle and Foaly's mouth was suddenly free. Free to make the choice._

_The genius centaur hesitated. He had held out for... how long? Days? Weeks? His days were filled with just such torture as this and one day blurred senselessly into the next. He wasn't even sure why he was here anymore. Why did he endure this? He couldn't remember, had lost sight of his goals in the face of Cudgeon's own personal form of persuasion._

_Apparently he waited too long to decide, for Cudgeon stood up and snapped his fingers at the awaiting guards. "Start again. I'll be back when he's ready." He turned to walk away and the guards advanced toward the centaur. Foaly's eyes went wide in panic and a shrill horse's scream rang out. "No! Wait, please!"_

_Cudgeon turned back and caught Foaly by the chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. "Swear to me," he said in a low voice. "Swear it."_

_Foaly began to cry. "I swear it. Just make it stop, please. Please."_

_Cudgeon could clearly see that it was desperation and fear that fueled the centaur's promise and decided to make absolutely certain of his word. Cudgeon's eyes seemed to look through Foaly as he layered his voice in the hypnotic _mesmer_. "You are mine, whatever I say you will do. You are bound to me. Swear it by the gods and by your life." It was against the Book to use the _mesmer_ on another fairy, but Cudgeon was past caring about the Book or anything else but himself._

_Foaly jerked back and away, eyes wild with fear. Cudgeon swore and pushed harder, hoping his remaining magic would be enough to cow the centuar. It wasn't long before the beaten fairy was completely under his power. Effortlessly, the promises slipped from his lips. "I swear by the gods and by my life, my allegiance is to Briar Cudgeon, forever and completely. Always."_

_Briar Cudgeon pulled out of the _mesmer_ and smiled at his new slave. "Very well. You have made the right decision, Foaly. You won't be sorry."_

_But then he swept the muzzle gag back over the centaur's mouth and snapped his fingers to the guards. The lights came back up full force and Foaly lost sight of his master. He couldn't believe it. He had been betrayed. The nauseating subsonics resumed and he knew that the whips wouldn't be far behind._

_Foaly screamed in mere anticipation of the pain he knew would follow. "Wait, please, no more! I did what you asked! Nooooo!"_

_"_Foaly?"

The centaur jerked awake at the touch. He'd been screaming aloud, he realized, and the noise had woken Holly. She was kneeling by his side, but in the darkness of the cell he could not see her face. He recalled her last words to him and turned away, resting his head against the cool stone wall.

Holly felt him turn from her. "Foaly, what is it?" When he remained silent, she knew the reason. "It's what I said earlier, isn't it?" Again, no answer. "Foaly, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. I was upset over Trouble's death, and I spoke far too hastily and in anger. You're the only friend I have left in this place. Please, Foaly, talk to me."

After a moment, he sighed heavily and said quietly, "Do you know why I did what I did? Why I gave those names to Cudgeon, why I'm working for him?"

Holly was nonplussed, surprised he brought it up. "I'm sure you had good reason..." She trailed off as, without a word, he found her hand in the dark and placed her palm on his bare chest. The former Captain let her left hand drift slowly across his chest, over his shoulder, and onto his back. She caught her breath at the ridges of scars beneath her fingers. "What?" she breathed.

"Cudgeon's persuasion," Foaly said bitterly. "He knew his weak _mesmer_ alone wouldn't be enough to induce me to join, so he beat loyalty into me. He tortured me, Holly. It was horrific, I can't even tell you..." His voice trailed to silence. His body shuddered under the elf's hand and she pulled him to her, hugging him tightly. "How long?" she asked, though she knew she would regret asking.

"That's the awful thing about it. I don't even know. I'd like to think I held out for weeks. But sometimes I have the terrible feeling that it was only a couple of days." He took a deep breath. "I lost my mind to the pain. I would have said anything, done anything, to make it stop. And, eventually, I did. I sold my soul to the devil who tortured me. But... but Cudgeon could see that my oath was motivated by terror and agony. He used what little magic he has left to secure my promises of faithfulness. I should have been able to resist...but..." Another deep breath. "I couldn't. I am his now." Foaly tried to find her face, search it with his eyes. But the simulated night was too dark to penetrate.

Holly gave a strangled gasp. "Using the _mesmer_ on another fairy is against every law in the Book!"

Foaly managed a short laugh. "Do you really think Cudgeon cares about the Book? No, all he cares about is power, complete power over Haven and the People. Trust me on this, I know him. Briar Cudgeon broke me. Me! And now I'm being forced to work for him. I've seen everything in his control center, and-"

"Everything?" Holly interjected with sudden curiousity.

"Don't even think it," Foaly cautioned. "Listen to what I'm saying. Cudgeon has everything. Weapons, shields, defense, offense, the lot. I should know, I designed most of it. He's got torture chambers I never even saw. I suppose they're for breaking people stronger than I am..." His words trailed to a halt and Holly finished the sentence in a hoarse whisper. "People like me."

"That's what I'm telling you! Holly, it will be unbearable to watch him interrogate you, but there is no choice. You can't defeat him. Believe me, I tried. But Cudgeon is simply too strong. If you try some half-cooked escape plan, you'll just make it worse on yourself."

He turned away, but Holly's hand sought and found him. She turned his face toward her and felt hot tears against her fingers. Gently she wiped away the drops and pushed several strands of hair behind on of the centaur's ears. Foaly leaned into the hand cupping his face, glad of her nearness.

"Have faith, Foaly," murmured Holly Short. "Have hope. There are always possibilities."

The centaur spoke, his breath warm against the elf's palm. "I've had hope beaten out of me, Holly. I've seen all that Briar Cudgeon can do. It is death to oppose him."

As if to punctuate his point, a pair of guards came down the corridor outside dragging another fairy between them. The pitiful creature's cries echoed around the cells. "I won't go back! I can't go back! I've told you everything I know! Please don't make me go back in there!" The cries were truncated as a door slammed somewhere. Ten seconds later, a high-pitched scream pierced the night and rang high until it was cut off with a terrible abruptness. In the silence that followed, all that could be heard was Foaly's heartbroken weeping.

Holly embraced her friend, holding him as he had held her. They sat together for many long minutes, giving each other comfort through physical contact. An hour later, the centaur asked, "Holly? Do you think there's any way to fix what I've done? How to atone for all the fairy blood I've caused to be spilled?"

It was obvious to the elf that she could not convince him that Cudgeon's tyranny was not his fault. Foaly was guilt-ridden and desperate to redeem himself in the eyes of his people. She answered him as gently as she could. "We could free them, Foaly. Put down Cudgeon and end the reign of terror."

Foaly sat up and Holly thought that his face must have been completely confused. "I've already told you. It's hopeless."

"Not if you help," Holly pressed. "His science is in your hands."

"But he watches every move I make..." Foaly said slowly, aware of how petty he sounded. After all, was he not a genius?

"Not if there's a distraction," said Holly triumphantly, sensing that he was beginning to warm to the idea. "Come on, it can't hurt to try."

"No worse than it's already hurt," Foaly said under his breath.

Holly grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "We can do this, centaur. We can do this."

He was quiet for a long time, then pulled his hand free. "No, Holly. I can't. It would be suicide."

After that, there was nothing more to say that hadn't already been said. The two friends lay down, their heads barely touching and each with one arm flung behind the other's back. Holly was almost asleep when she felt fingers at the small of her back. Fingers that were busily tapping away in horse code. It could only be Foaly and the message he spelled out against he back sent a grin blossoming across the elf's face.

_Have plan. Couldn't agree before, we're being watched._

Holly wasn't particularly well-versed in horse code, but she knew enough to understand and respond. Her fingers worked over his scarred back in answer.

_Tell._

And Foaly did. He laid out his plans in short, concise sentences and when Holly finally got to sleep, she went to sleep happy. Perhaps there really was a way out of here after all.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Holly passed the word to her cellmates and had them pass it to their neighbors until the entire cell block had heard the news. There was to be a celebration that night, a sharing of song and dance among the prisoners. Excitement ran hot that morning, but that evening the morale was low. Interrogation tended to do that. Holly herself was subjected to a series of electric shocks that still reverberated in her fingers after the session was long over. But, to her satisfaction, she had not broken and Cudgeon went to dinner with no more information than he'd had before.

She entered the cell to meet the wary gaze of the Atlantean, the Shadow Lassie, and the gnome, Averies. The other occupants of the cell were waiting, waiting on her to give the word. Holly blew out her breath and let a few more seconds tick off the clock. She desperately hoped that this ridiculous scheme would work. Raising her voice, she called loud down the cell block. "Let's get it started!"

The response was less enthusiastic than she'd hoped, but as the night drew on the people's enthusiasm rose. Holly opened the show with the Celtic song _Si Do Mhaimeo_, Averies broke it down with the Mud Man rap _Soulja Boy_, Apple Kai from two cells over sang out the old Gnommish ballad _Frond's Lament_, and Cat Morgan at the other end of the block gave a rendition of the Riverbend classic _Never Hit Your Grandma With a Great Big Stick_, just to name a few songs that were sung. Lyrics and laughter rang loud until guards broke up the party. But long after it was over, a current of ecstacy ran over the cells. Holly was glad for the lift in the others' spirits, but she was still anxious to see whether their distraction had sufficiently covered Foaly's end of the plan.

Foaly was feeling better than he had in a very long time, so he decided to indulge in a pout. It just wasn't fair; just because he was the technical genius, he wasn't allowed to participate in the festival. True, he had known since the beginning of the plan that he probably wouldn't be able to attend, but it still upset him. Sighing, he turned back to his work.

As he prepared for his end of the plan, an idea occurred to him. _If I can't sing in the festival, I can certainly sing to myself! _The centaur ran through a list of song options in his head. Next to nothing came to mind. Foaly resolved to widen his repertoire as soon as they got out of here. Then a scene from one of his favorite Mud Movies came to mind and with it, a song. He tapped out the tune on his board as he sang the words aloud.

_Life forms,  
You tiny little life forms,  
You precious little life forms,  
Where are you?_

A hand came out of nowhere and smacked against the side of his head. With a snort, Foaly turned to find Cudgeon standing at his side, hand raised. "Shut up," the elf snarled, "It's bad enough the rest are singing without you doing it too."

A particularly clueless sprite at another of the computer stations piped up. "So what's so bad about the prisoners singing, sir?"

Cudgeon rounded on him, eyes blazing. "What's wrong with it? Are you daft?" He approached the sprite and swept everything off of the desk in front of him. Slamming a hand on the desk, he leaned into the face of his challenger. "A song on the lips is a song in the heart, and a song in the heart gives hope. Hope is the last thing these prisoners need. We are trying to _break_ them, remember? Now get out of here and shut 'em up!"

In the confusion and yelling over the diversion, Foaly had enough time to complete his end of the plan without detection. His end of the plan being the planting of a timed computer virus. In just ten hours, the virus would be released through Cudgeon's computers and neutralize every program. Unlocking doors, lowering shields, the lot. However, this wouldn't take place until the next day. So all there was to do now was wait.


	5. Chapter 5

Five minutes before the appointed time, Holly Short's eyes snapped open. She sat up and smoothly went into a crouch. The pretty elf was in surveillance mode, every sense alert to discover any possible danger. All was quiet.

The Shadow Lassie awoke beside her and whispered, "What is it?"

"It's going down."

"Now?"

"In just a few minutes," Holly answered, still watching and listening. Sure enough, in a short time the clock struck six o'clock. There was a distinctive clicking beep as every electronic lock on the cell block suddenly lost power. A smile crossed Holly's face.

"Foaly does good work." She slid the now-loose inhibitor bracelets off of her wrists and turned to her companion. "Wake Averies and let's go."

Foaly stifled a yawn. In a fit of paranoia last night, Commander Cudgeon had ordered a complete systems check. He'd kept his techs up all night working on it. So far nothing had been amiss and it had all been very boring. But, Foaly mused as he watched the atomic clock on his desktop tick down toward 6:00, it was about to get a lot more interesting.

Suddenly an elf at another of the computer stations ripped off his headset and turned to face Cudgeon with wide, frightened eyes. "Sir! All of our shields just dropped and our weapons are off-line!"

Cudgeon charged over to the station and scanned the monitor. "How can that be?" he roared.

"Sir!" The call came from another station across the room. "We're being attacked from the North, South, East- Every direction!" The gnome manning the station turned to her commander with wild eyes. "It's an invasion."

"How is it possible?" screamed Cudgeon as every computer in the room suddenly went dark. Then he knew. "Foaly!"

"Resistance is futile," Foaly smirked. Then, as the first salvos shook the command center, the genius reared and threw his fist in the air with joy. "Yes!!"


	6. Chapter 6

Leading the hundred or so liberated prisoners, Holly Short negotiated her way out of the cell block. "What now?" inquired the Shadow Lassie from her place at Holly's right hand.

Holly peeked around a corner, saw the coast was clear, and beckoned her flock forward. "Actually," she answered ruefully, "I don't have much of a plan at this point."

The floor trembled with repercussions from gunfire. As the boom of the cannons filtered through from above the fainter of heart in the group cried out in fear. Averies pushed his way to the front of the crowd and huffed, "What was that, Short? What are you leading us into?"

"Everybody stay calm!" Holly shouted to make herself heard. "The noise you're hearing is that of Commander Root and his troops fighting for our freedom." A ragged cheer rose from the weary prisoners at that. Averies, however, was still Averies and he had to rain on their parade.

"Well, Short, you've led us this far. What are you going to do now; lead us into a war zone?"

Holly thought quickly. "Averies, you take the weaker to safety, preferably someplace outside of Haven. All able-bodied fairies follow me. We're going to join the fight." Averies looked surprised at being given command, but quickly took charge. As he herded his group away, Holly led hers the opposite way, searching for some kind of weaponry.

One of the prisoners was able to get the band of fifty to a weapons locker. Fortunately, no handguns had been affected by Foaly's blackout, as only systems connected to the main computer had been wiped out. Armed with a blaster apiece, the little band made their way out onto the field of battle.

They came into a world of dust and blood and fire. Screams echoed all around them as the first rays of simulated sunlight came peeping over Cudgeon's broken fortress walls. Barely able to distinguish friend from foe, Holly's reinforcements, such as they were, jumped gamely into the fray.

Captain Short soon discovered that this battle was not a simple matter of Cudgeon vs. Rebels. Opal Koboi's forces were also in on the battle. She discovered later that, in an incredible burst of good fortune, Opal had decided to stage a takeover of her one-time partner's side of the city on the same morning as the rebellion's coup.

But at the moment, all she knew was that she now had two sets of targets instead of one. The elf played the field, making every one of her shots count as she darted from one spot of cover to another. It felt to her as if the battle lasted a lifetime or two. But in reality everything was over fairly quickly. In a rebellion victory.

Even though it may seem illogical that the rebels should win, think for a moment of the odds. The forces of Opal and Cudgeon spent so much time murdering each other that when they turned on the rebels, there was no fight left in them. Still, even though the resistance triumphed, the death toll was high on all sides.

"War is hell."

Captain Chix Verbil and Commander Julius Root picked their way through the carnage-strewn battlefield carefully, identifying the dead and notifying medics for the injured. Most of the dead were Cudgeon or Koboi's soldiers, but a sad many were resistance fighters. Verbil sighed as he discovered yet another dead friend and continued his statement.

"Do you know why people make war? Greed. Greed for power, in this case. Power over the People. But how can you have power over people if your wars for the right to rule make them all end up dead? Why-" Then he noticed that Root had stopped and was glaring at him. Chix didn't like that look. He said quickly, "-and I could go into a very long philosophy rant on this, but I'll stop now."

"Thank you. Are all of our forces accounted for, Captain?"

"All but the ones who aren't!" Verbil answered with a smile. A smile which quickly withered under the power of Root's disapproving stare. "Uh, almost, sir."

The commander turned to trudge back to the makeshift camp and medical center that the victors had set up in the center of the battlefield. "I'm holding a debriefing in half an hour. Make sure all senior officers are there, including Captain Short." When Chix did not reply, Root turned back to look at him. "Captain Short has reported in, hasn't she Captain?"

Chix began to sweat. Now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen the plucky little redhead's name in any of the rosters. "Uhm..." he faltered, looking back over his shoulder as if he expected her to suddenly appear behind him. He had a bad feeling about this.


	7. Chapter 7

Captain Holly Short stirred and sat up slowly. Her shoulder, which had been wounded during the battle, was sore but fully healed thanks to her magic. She cased her surroundings. The elf sat perched atop a pile of rubble that had once been Cudgeon's prison. From this vantage point she could see the battlefield, the camp and even the blue magic of the warlocks as they worked to help the wounded. She stood up and brushed herself off. As long as she wasn't seriously wounded, she could be of help to her people.

A few small rocks were loosed by her movement and they skittered down the side of the mound. Most hit the ground, but Holly heard a few strike flesh. A soft moan came from the base of the heap. Holly quickly looked down the slope, ready to help the injured party. Then she saw who it was that cried out.

Briar Cudgeon lay beneath her, buried up to his chest in the remains of his command. His eyes flitted about for a time before finally settling on the elf standing above him. "Help me," he rasped. "Heal me, please!"

The elf squatted at the top of the pile and looked disparagingly down at the trapped fairy. "Why should I help you?" Her tone was bitter and cold. "You who have killed and tortured so many."

He scratched feebly at the rubble covering him before holding out a pleading hand to her. "You have magic. I know it. Please."

Holly knew she should rush down to help him. It was what any LEP officer would do. But all she could think of was Trouble Kelp's death throes, Foaly's scars, her own torture, and how much she would like to see Briar Cudgeon lying dead.

Not trusting herself to speak to the former tyrant, Holly Short stood and turned away. She began to climb down the opposite side of the slag heap.

A small stone impacted against her shoulder with stinging force. Holly half-turned back to see Briar Cudgeon with his left hand still raised from the throw. He lowered it slowly and drew a deep, ragged before speaking.

"Very well, Captain. Let me die then. But!" he interjected as Holly started to turn again. "Don't leave yet, Captain." A fit of coughing wracked him and dark blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth. He hissed his words between labored breaths. "Stay and watch me die. Watch me die so that you can tell your children, and your grandchildren, and your great-grandchildren how the hero of the resistance movement stood by and watched a man die and did nothing! Watch me die!"

Holly closed her eyes against his accusing gaze. She remained silent for long moments. The emotions warring within her were clearly on her face. She did not want to help him. But she knew she had to do it. It was the only right thing to do. Otherwise she was a killer, just as he was. Her eyes blazed open and with a growled curse she moved down the heap to save the life of her enemy.

When Holly dragged herself into camp, there was considerable excitement on all sides. There was, however, less enthusiasm for her comatose patient/prisoner. Cudgeon was confiscated by the warlocks and Captain Short was given a quick once-over as well. When she was certified to be in fair health, she was hustled off to Root's debriefing. The meeting did not last very long because there wasn't much to tell. Holly learned that the rebels had lost a little more than half of their attack force. All things considered, the numbers weren't that bad, but it still saddened Holly to read the names of her comrades among the dead and missing.

She emerged from the debriefing and set off across the camp to accomplish her next goal: Find Foaly. The overeager Chix Verbil had informed her that the centaur had survived the battle, but Holly and Chix (who insisted on following her about) couldn't seem to find him.

Finally they discovered him sitting beside one of the beds in the medical shelter. He was holding the hand of the bed's occupant and talking to her in low tones. To Holly's surprise, it was Opal Koboi that held Foaly's attention. The megalomaniacal pixie was in a coma and unresponsive. Then she caught what he was saying.

"Yes, Opal, much money is to be gained from the poaching of the Amazonian Humpbacked Camel. Those little green pelts of theirs bring a considerable amount on the black market. But the hardest thing is to find them in their natural habitat of the Amazon jungle. But with your genius, Ms. Koboi, I'm sure you'll find a way."

"Foaly!" chided Holly in an exasperated tone. "Stop that. You're messing with her subconcious. If she ever wakes up, she's going to be all confused, and with who knows what kind of notions in her head!"

Foaly, who was obviously feeling a great deal better since the coup, looked up at his friend and grinned from ear to ear. "I know. Isn't it great?"

Chix was decidedly confused. "Holly..."

Short ignored him and tugged on Foaly's arm. "Come on. Leave her alone and let's talk." She was eager to hear his take on the battle and also to discover what had happened to him since the last time they had talked.

Foaly rose, but had to murmur one parting shot into the senseless Koboi's ear. "Next time, my dear, I'll tell you about the monkeys in outriggers!"

"Foaly!"

The three left the temporary shelter and began to walk the fringes of the camp. Holly opened her mouth to begin a conversation, but Chix beat her to the punch. "Holly..." he said slowly, "why are there camels in the jungle?"

Foaly burst out laughing and Holly pursed her lips to keep back her own laughter. She laid a hand on the sprite's shoulder. "It's a very old joke, Chix. Just don't ask. Please." Chix nodded jerkily, still obviously confused.

Foaly recovered from his hilarity and looked around the camp. His mood suddenly shifted into a more reflective one. He draped an arm around Holly's shoulders and pulled her close in a side hug. "We did it," he told her. "It's over. Everything's back to the way it was."

Holly returned his embrace fondly. "This part is over, maybe. But it's going to be a long time before everything's back to the way it was." She gazed out over the ruins of Cudgeon's command post with the bright little camp sitting in the center. _Hope,_ she thought. _We has it._


End file.
